"What's with this weird mask?"
Kalpas frowned behind the mask as he saw his reflection in the ice. Elias thought to himself that perhaps the Tiga Ultraman mask wasn't quite to his taste.
"Weird? Not at all. Trust me—wearing this will make you popular. One day you'll thank me."
"Thank you? Hmph! Absurd."
Kalpas hesitated, but in the end didn't remove the mask.
Strange as it was, it wasn't ugly. More importantly, he hated showing his real face even more.
Though Elias had already seen it, Kalpas wasn't going to bother with silencing him.
Not that he could, anyway.
Without undergoing the Meta-Morph surgery, Kalpas wasn't even a match for Sakura—let alone Elias.
Even if he seemed strong enough to solo a Herrscher just now, he had paid dearly for it. If not for Elias using the Herrscher of Death's power to heal his frostbite, he would have been suffering for a long time. Though Kalpas' tolerance for pain was monstrous—honed by years of torture from those damned villagers.
"Tell me your name."
Kalpas crossed his arms and stared at the boy before him.
"Loser announces first—that's the rule. I won, so you go first."
"Fine, fine! I'm Kalpas. Remember it! Next time, I won't lose to you again!"
"Such a temper… whatever, keep it. I'm Elias. Nice to meet you, Kalpas."
Elias imagined a polite, soft-spoken "Mr. Kalpas" and almost laughed at how wrong it felt. This man being hot-headed was far more entertaining.
Elias liked people with personality.
"…Hmph!"
Kalpas glanced at Elias' outstretched hand, then at his own bloodstained fist—still marked by the Herrscher of Ice's blood. With a cold snort, he turned away, ignoring it.
"You really are rude."
Sakura sounded displeased. As Elias' devoted fox-eared follower, she already disliked Kalpas—who had just fought him, and now acted disrespectfully.
"Hah? Woman, I've already shown him respect. If you want mine too, you'd better prove it with strength."
"Oh? Is that so."
"!!!"
Kalpas didn't react in time. When he came to, Frozen Naraka was already at his neck.
The icy-blue blade lacked the chilling force of the Herrscher of Ice, but it carried an edge infinitely sharper.
The most frightening part, however, was the speed.
That strike had taken just 0.1 seconds.
Elias: (Other than me, Sakura's the fastest in Fire Moth. But still, that strike took 0.1 seconds—far from reaching the realm of [Setsuna].)
The time for a normal human to react was called a "thought," about 1.08 seconds.
A "Setsuna" was one-sixtieth of that—roughly 0.018 seconds.
Sakura was still far from the mark, unable to unleash that world-freezing slash. But against Kalpas, who had yet to undergo Meta-Morph, it was more than enough.
Right now, Brother Kalpas was feeling a little socially defeated.
He had just said his piece, only to be instantly schooled by action. He couldn't help but wonder—what was with these two outsiders? And that cold, monstrous being earlier…
Was this world really so deep?
"Hmph! Interesting. Fight me!"
Kalpas' battle intent quickly reignited, his masked gaze locking on Sakura. His fury hadn't fully burned out, and he was eager to vent it. Just as he was about to leap into another fight, however, a wave of extreme cold swept from behind him.
So cold it nearly froze his flames solid!
For a moment, Kalpas thought the Herrscher of Ice had revived.
But…
"That's enough. Fighting all day long—what's the point? All this killing is bad for everyone. And while I'm a kind and forgiving person, Kalpas, if you so much as harm Sakura, the consequences will be very, very serious."
The source of the chill was Elias.
"What—you can wield it too?!"
Kalpas stared in shock at the ultra-low temperatures radiating from Elias, colder than the Herrscher of Ice herself.
Earlier, Elias had retrieved the Herrscher's corpse and pried the Gem of Stasis from her chest, embedding it into the Key of Blankness disguised as his ordinary clothing.
And so, the unprecedented Seven-Core Herrscher was born!
The concentration of Honkai energy around Elias skyrocketed, leaping to 30,000HW!
Compared to him, the Herrscher of Ice was nothing. If Elias wished to end the world, with the help of Benares' Meta-Morph ICHOR that granted climate control, he could permanently lower global temperatures to below -70 degrees.
The oceans—frozen solid at a whim.
The skies—endless snowfall, without end.
If he wished it, the world would become eternal tundra.
And truthfully, ice would be far more efficient for extinction than fire.
"This… really is the Herrscher of Ice's power!"
Sakura's eyes widened in shock.
Watching Elias effortlessly manipulate temperature, condensing a crystal-clear shard of ice in his palm, she was awestruck.
To wield a Herrscher's power as one's own—Sakura felt as though she had glimpsed an earth-shattering secret.
As she panicked over what to do, Elias looked at her with trusting eyes.
"This is my greatest secret. Don't tell anyone, Sakura. Otherwise, I'll be in big trouble."
"I'll never tell!!"
She answered without hesitation.
She knew he had deliberately revealed this to her, showing trust by exposing his secret. How could she betray that?
Sakura was suddenly grateful she didn't talk in her sleep. Otherwise, she'd need to sleep with a gag in her mouth (lol).
"Mm. Thank you, Sakura. Here, take this."
"Th-this, I can't possibly accept—"
Elias shaped the shard of ice further, crafting it into a deep-blue crystalline necklace. It would never melt, nor feel cold to the touch.
But above all, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Perfect for a girl as beautiful as Sakura.
"I'll treasure it for my entire life!"
Sakura's voice was firm and earnest. It was the best gift she had ever received. The fox ears atop her head flicked nonstop, showing her overflowing happiness.
Elias smiled, as always, reaching to pat her head before fastening the necklace around her neck.
Their eyes met in a deep gaze, the atmosphere so sweet it felt like they might kiss the next moment.
Kalpas: "..."
The masked man watched silently, feeling as though he'd just swallowed something unbearably sweet and sticky. With a huff, he turned aside.
Gazing at the ruined village, the mad king clenched his fists. The fire in his heart, which had only just cooled, once again began to burn uncontrollably.
But Kalpas' rage wasn't for Elias or Sakura, nor even for the Herrscher of Ice. It was anger at himself—his failure to protect his home. To him, that was all that mattered.
The Herrscher's final outburst of cold had already turned the entire region into permafrost, unfit for human habitation.
Kalpas looked upon his destroyed refuge, lost, and began wandering aimlessly in a random direction.
He didn't know where to go.
But he no longer wanted to remain here. Staying would only keep his fury boiling endlessly.
Just then…
"Kalpas."
"Hm? Done with your flirting?"
Turning, he saw the white-haired boy standing behind him, while the fox-eared woman stood nearby, looking dazed and smiling faintly.
Toward the boy who had defeated him in fair combat—yet also saved him—Kalpas' attitude was surprisingly "friendly."
After all, he had not yet undergone Meta-Morph, nor suffered the cognitive corruption that would later twist him further into fury.
"..."
"If you have something to say, say it. My patience is short."
"I'd originally planned to invite you to come with me… but now I think it's too soon. What you need is a place to rest—a sanatorium to cool the fire in your heart."
Elias abandoned the idea of immediately taking Kalpas to Fire Moth.
Though Kalpas, strong enough to defeat a Herrscher without even being a fusion warrior, was undoubtedly a powerful force—there was no need to rush. For now, humanity in the Previous Era was thriving. Fire Moth was united in its war against the Honkai.
Herrschers were already being suppressed—by Elias himself.
That momentum would continue.
At least, the Herrscher of Death and Herrscher of Fire would still be handled—because Elias already had the means. Having held the Gem of Haste and Gem of Desire for so long, no one knew those Herrschers' powers and weaknesses better than him.
Kalpas' aid wasn't essential.
Elias: (The best way to win Kalpas over is to give him a home—to become his family. Heart for heart. But… forget it. I'm not into guys. I'd much rather stay close with the girls. And for later's sake, letting him go now is best.)
He knew where Kalpas would go next—the Dusk Street, a cradle of talent in the Previous Era.
Pardofelis and Aponia had yet to appear. Kalpas would find his way to MOTH's sanatorium, where he could cool his fury.
Once he found a new home and family, his rage could finally be tamed. And with Elias' interference, Sakura would never kill those Honkai-afflicted children this time.
This time, everyone could have a perfect ending.
"Kalpas, real family protects each other with their lives—they don't hurt one another. What makes a home a home isn't just that it's a place to sleep or return to—it's that it warms your heart…"
"What are you trying to say…"
"You'll find true family someday. When you do, protect them well. Here, take this."
"Enough!"
Elias formed a terminal and tossed it to Kalpas. But without hesitation, Kalpas crushed it in his fist, then strode away without looking back.
For some reason, Elias' words made him feel as though his heart was being peeled open like an onion, layer by layer.
It was as though he'd been seen through—understood.
That baffled and unsettled him. As a beast-like man, this unreasonable kindness and understanding only made him more cautious, more guarded.
And so Kalpas ran. He had no choice.
After all—he couldn't beat Elias right now.
At this moment, Kalpas had no idea that he would soon become Elias' most loyal enforcer—second in devotion only to Sakura.
"Ah, wait—I might've just given him a buff. With that Tiga Ultraman mask I made, he'll win over Aponia's sanatorium kids even faster. Heh, Kalpas, you'd better thank me later."
Hands on his hips, Elias thought proudly to himself—truly, he never disappointed.
...
From the skies came the sound of Fire Moth's transport craft rotors. Elias looked up and saw his adorable Miss Pink Elf waving at him from above.
"Sakura, it's time to go home."
"..."
But while Elias called her, the fox-eared girl was still standing dazedly in place, fingers tracing the ice-crystal necklace at her throat, lost in bliss.
"Sakura, Sakura—time to snap out of it!"
"Mmnn!"
Elias chuckled helplessly, tugging gently on her fox ears to bring her back to reality.
"Sorry, Elias, I was just…"
"It's fine. I'm glad you like my gift. Come on, let's go home."
"Mm!"
Sakura nodded firmly, then tucked the necklace beneath her clothes to rest close against her skin.
Elias couldn't help but think it a pity she had no tail—otherwise, it'd surely be wagging sky-high right now.
He also found it amusing. That necklace was just a casual trinket he'd made on a whim, yet Sakura cherished it as though it were priceless. It made him… want to give her more.
After all, Elias wasn't a girl—he couldn't truly understand what it meant for a pure-hearted maiden to receive a beautiful necklace from the boy she adored.
To Sakura, that necklace was worth more than her own life.
And it made one wonder—
When the day came that necklace shattered… what kind of expression would she show?
...
—Inside Fire Moth Base—
"As expected of Captain Elias! He defeated another Herrscher!"
"Yeah, and this time in less than a minute!"
"That man's a Herrscher-killer, a savior!"
"Efficient—too efficient! This time there's not even any cleanup to do. Perfect!"
"Humanity will prevail! Long live Captain Elias! Prepare the victory banquet!"
The base erupted into a sea of cheers.
It was a great victory, unprecedented. Only a small village had been lost—the cost was negligible.
Elias' reputation soared once again. As he stepped off the transport, the white-haired figure drew eyes brimming with admiration.
(Elias: "How lonely is invincibility~ How empty is invincibility~ Alone atop the peak~ with only the cold wind blowing~ Who can understand my solitude!")
Humming in his heart, Elias gave himself a mental thumbs-up.
He glanced at the mission report, summarizing the Fifth Herrscher's defeat, and wrote without hesitation two bold words: Very Simple.
"Waaah~ My kill got stolen again!" Miss Pink Elf rubbed her eyes, fake-crying adorably.
Since the Second Herrscher, she hadn't landed a single finishing blow.
Finally, Elias had promised her two kills.
But the Herrscher of Wind outran her, and the Herrscher of Ice had literally spawned in front of Elias—sniped in an instant.
"My dearest Elias, are you cursed to always steal Herrscher kills? This is too much. I feel like no one will ever snatch a kill from you for the rest of their lives~"
"Cough, cough—don't say it like that, Ely. Trust me, you'll definitely get your chance."
Elias thought of the Herrscher of Dominance yet to appear—over a thousand bodies. Sharing a few with Elysia and Kevin wouldn't be a problem.